Fading Natsu-Rewrite
by Michael J. O'Malley
Summary: Natsu is fading, and no one seems to notice how he's been changing. Or so Natsu thinks. Can someone bring the dragon slayer back into the light, or will he succumb to his own darkness? Gratsu, OOCness, slow updates (due to laziness). Enter at your own risk.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is a rewrite of my first story ever written, 'Fading Natsu'. You can read it, or you can leave it be (unless you've already read it), but I hope you like this version! And I hope it's better than the first time around. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**-FT—FT—FT-**

I welcomed disappearing from this world. I welcomed relief from the pain I was constantly in. The pain that nobody ever noticed, not even once. Happy didn't notice. Erza didn't notice. Lucy didn't notice. Gajeel didn't notice. Nobody did. They never noticed how gloomy I was, despite getting into fights every ten minutes. They never saw how I was slowly fading, falling into nothing.

I almost couldn't stand it anymore. The way they pretended as though everything was alright. Sometimes I would pray that they would notice how much I'd changed, and sometimes I prayed that they would never notice, because I didn't want them to worry about me.

And they never noticed. I wasn't sure how to feel about that, but I did know one thing: I was breaking from the inside out. Is there anyone who can save me?

What I didn't know at the time, was that there was one person that could save me, one flicker of hope in my heart that had the potential to become a raging fire.

**-FT—FT—FT-**

**Gray's POV**

Natsu was pissing me off. For a month now he'd been gloomy and depressed, despite the fact that he was constantly getting into fights with everyone. Whenever he wasn't fighting, he was sitting at the bar with a glum expression on his face and a drink in his hand.

I wasn't just pissed, but worried as well. I wanted to know what was wrong with Natsu, yet he wouldn't even hold a complete conversation with anyone, not even Happy, who'd given up awhile before. After Natsu had been sitting there for about an hour with a gloomy expression on his face, I finally decided to do something about it.

I couldn't see Natsu's eyes, but I knew they would be lost in thought.

I stood up from where I was sitting and walked over to Natsu, biting back my anger. I stood in front of him and said, "Natsu, what's been up with you lately? You've been acting weird." Anger leaked into my voice.

When I got no response, my anger peaked. Either he wasn't listening to me, or he was just ignoring me. It didn't matter to me either way. I thought for a second, then decided on what I was going to do. I kicked Natsu hard in the side, sending him into the opposite wall. I was hoping that it would get Natsu angry, or just give me a reaction, but what I saw shocked me.

Natsu was looking at me with wide eyes, unshed tears glistening in them. "Natsu . . .?" I asked quietly. The room was silent. Fear and embarrassment flickered in his eyes. He was up and running before I could say anything else. I grabbed his wrist before he could get away, but instead of keeping my grip his glove slipped off, and he was gone.

I frowned, thinking. _'Since when did Natsu wear gloves?' _I asked myself, but filed that away in my mind and ran after the dragon slayer. Erza, Lucy, and Happy followed after me.

**Natsu's POV**

I was lost deep in thought, worrying about what would happen if they ever found out about my fading and how they would react. Would they be angry with me for hiding it? Would they be a comforting family? Or would they abandon me like Igneel did? Would they just walk away from me, and pretend I never existed?

I didn't realize that I had tears in my eyes as I thought about this, nor did I hear when Gray was talking to me. I was only brought back to reality when I felt pain explode in my side and I was thrown across the room through a wall.

I looked up to see Gray. He had a stunned expression, and only then did I realize I had tears in my eyes when my vision began to blur. Embarrassment and fear rushed through my veins. I jumped up and tried to run past, but Gray caught my wrist. I jerked it out of his grip and felt the glove on my hand slip off, but ignored it and kept running.

It only took a few moments to hear footsteps pounding on the ground behind me and calls of my name being yelled. I pushed myself to run faster, to get away from them. I couldn't look them in the eye. I knew they would be disappointed in me, knew they would hate how weak I was.

So I ran as hard and as far as I could, not stopping even when I reached the forest. I heard Erza talking to Gray, telling him to leave me be, but he continued running after me. He was only one left chasing me. I eventually tripped over a root and went tumbling to the ground.

Gray came to a stop behind me. I made sure the gloveless hand was out of his line of sight and looked at the ground. "Why did you run, Natsu? No. What's been up with you lately? Why've you been acting so strange? You've been worrying all of us-"

I laughed bitterly. "Yeah right," I said. "You guys hardly even noticed how much I've changed. If you had, you would've said something instead of ignoring it." Even I was surprised at how empty my voice was.

When Gray didn't say anything I looked up. He was furious, disbelief and anger clear on his face.

"What kind of an idiot are you?!" he exploded. I flinched at the loudness of his voice. "You really think that we don't care about you?! I thought you were at least smarter than that! Don't you realize how worried we've been, how worried we've been about you?! We thought you needed space, so we didn't bring it up, but that's obviously not the case. I guess I have to say it straight to your face. We love you, all of us, and we're worried about you. Even I am."

I was stunned. I opened my mouth, then closed it again, unable to form a coherent sentence. " . . . You . . . love me?" I asked quietly, staring up at the ice mage. "I thought you hated me."

Gray's eyes widened, probably at the realization at what he said. "Oops," he muttered. "Of course I don't hate you. It may seem like that, but you're my nakama. I've loved you since I met you."

I looked down at the ground and gave a small smile. "I need some time to think. Would you mind leaving me alone for a while?"

Gray looked hesitant. "Just . . . make sure you come back," he said with a soft tone. I nodded, still not looking at him.

**-FT—FT—FT-**

**And that's chapter one of my rewrite. I hope you liked it! Follow, favorite, review, and PM me with requests. I'm willing to change details of this story, and even the plotline somewhat if you ask me to, so throw any ideas or constructive criticism at me that you may have. You can even flame if you like.**

**Until next time . . . **

**~O'Malley out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So here's chapter to for you guys. I hope you enjoy! And thanks to all of my reviewers for the support. I want to say again that I will take requests for this story at any time until I say that it's too late, so shoot any ideas you may have at me in the comments or by PM. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**-FT—FT—FT-**

**Gray's POV**

Natsu looked down at the ground, as if unsure of himself, and smiled. Though small, it was breathtaking. It had been forever since he gave a real smile, and I was relieved to see that he finally did it again. "I need some time to think. Would you mind leaving me alone for a while?" he asked, still looking at the ground.

I was unsure whether it was a good idea to leave him alone, but said, "Just . . . make sure you come back." Natsu nodded at the ground, still refusing to look at me. I walked away from my dragon slayer (Yes, _my _dragon slayer) and in the direction of Magnolia. As I reached the edge of the forest, I had a small moment of panic. _'What if he _doesn't _come back?! What if-' _I cut my train of thought off. I needed to have trust in Natsu.

As I finally reached the guild, Erza, Happy, and Lucy rushed out and asked me question after question about the dragon slayer. I realized I couldn't answer any of them. I hadn't gotten any of the answers I was looking for. "Just give him some time," I said, ignoring the questions being thrown at me.

I said the same to the other guild members who bombarded me with questions when I walked in. I sat at the bar, tuning out all of the whispering, and thought about ways to get Natsu to open up to me and tell me what was wrong. I needed to know, and I sure as hell knew that he needed to tell someone. I knew that if he didn't, then it would all come crashing down on him at once and he wouldn't be able to handle it.

I resolved to ask Natsu when he got back, to get answers from him. I would ask when he got back.

**-FT—FT—FT-**

**Natsu's POV**

I sighed as Gray disappeared from my line of vision. He would ask me questions later, questions I didn't want to answer. Although I was elated that Gray told me that he loved me, I was sure that he only meant it in the way a comrade would love a comrade, or even a brother would love a brother. It sure as hell wasn't like that for me. I'd been in love with him since I almost lost him on Galuna Island.

I just never got up the nerve to tell him. I brought my hand out from behind me and grimaced. I needed a glove to cover it up before they found out. So I got up and made my way towards my house, which wasn't far from where I was.

Once I'd gotten a glove and put it on, I made my way towards the guild. Though the place was home to me, it felt as though I was walking towards my doom. I dreaded going, but I knew Gray would worry otherwise. And the sooner I got the interrogation over with, the better.

As I walked through the town I heard whispers and rumors being told from one person to another. And most of them were about Gray and me. I tuned all of the whispering out (which was particularly hard with dragon hearing) and approached the guild.

I stopped in front of the wooden doors and took a deep breath. I was unbelievably nervous and couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. I slowly pushed the doors open. It took a few moments for people to stop fighting and finally notice me, but when they did there was a hushed silence shrouding the building.

After a few more moments of the silence, with tension so thick it was tangible, the guild turned their attention away from me and went to back to their conversations and fighting, though it was much more subdued this time.

I could hear most of the conversations. They were discussing wild ideas about what could've happened to me, and if I had the energy I would've rolled my eyes at them. None of them were remotely right. Gray met me halfway when I shuffled towards the bar, taking my hand gently and leading me to an empty room upstairs where we could talk in private.

Instead of bombarding me with questions as I expected, he only asked, "What's wrong with you lately? What's bothering you?"

I looked away, unable to meet his pleading eyes a second time. I knew Gray could tell how nervous I was by how much I was fidgeting, but didn't acknowledge the fact.

"Why won't you trust me for once?" the ice mage asked desperately. My eyes snapped to him, shock registering on my face.

"I-it's not that I don't trust you, Gray. It's j-just . . ." I stuttered, unable to finish the sentence.

Gray gave me a confused look. "It's just . . . what?" He cocked his head to the side in a way that I would've called adorable if I wasn't so scared.

"I . . ." I started unsurely, but said nothing more.

"Natsu," Gray said gently, grabbing my chin softly and tilting my head up so I was forced to meet his eyes. "You can trust me. Please, just let me in. Tell me what's wrong."

I looked in his eyes, searching for any sign of dishonesty, and found none. "I . . . I'm . . ." And yet I still couldn't tell him. I knew he would think I was weak and abandon me for that. "I can't," I finally whispered, tears prickling my eyes.

Gray let go of my chin and released an exasperated sigh, running a hand through his hair. He turned his back to me, seemingly deep in thought. After a few minutes of heavy silence, Gray said, "I thought you trusted me enough to tell me anything. But I guess I was wrong."

With that, the ice mage walked out of the room, and I was powerless to stop it. The door slammed behind him, and ice spread along the side of it. I fell to my knees with a muted thump and felt tears rolling down my face.

"I'm sorry," I whispered between silent sobs, over and over again, burying my face in my hands. I finally let myself succumb to darkness when I couldn't stand it anymore, despite the nightmares that would come with it.

**Gray's POV**

When Natsu walked into the guild, a thick silence descended on the guild, before everyone went back to whatever they were doing in a much less rambunctious way. I met him halfway as he went towards the bar and grabbed his hand, leading him upstairs.

Surprisingly enough, he didn't protest or resist. I went to an empty room and closed the door behind me, then turned around to see Natsu fidgeting nervously. I ignored the urge to throw question after question at him and asked, "What's wrong with you lately? What's bothering you?"

Natsu only looked away from me, refusing to meet my eyes again. I felt frustration build up in me, but pushed it down and forced myself to be gentle. Violence and shouting wouldn't solve anything for once. I was getting desperate.

"Why won't you trust me for once?" I asked with a desperate tone and a pleading look on my face. Natsu finally looked at me, his shock at my statement clear.

"I-it's not that I don't trust you. It's j-just . . ." Natsu trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished. The way the dragon slayer stuttered was so unlike him and it worried me.

I looked at him, confused as to why he wouldn't tell me what was wrong. I tilted my head to the side and asked, "It's just . . . what?" Fear flashed in Natsu's eyes.

"I . . ." Natsu started. His uneasiness made me want to comfort him, but I pushed that aside.

I grabbed Natsu's chin gently and tilted his head up so that he would look me in the eye. "Natsu," I said softly. "You can trust me. Please, just let me in. Tell me what's wrong." Natsu looked me straight in the eyes, as if searching for something.

"I . . . I'm . . ." Natsu began, and I felt some hope rise in me. Maybe he would finally let me help him. But then the fear was back in his eyes again, more intense than ever. "I can't," he whispered brokenly. Unshed tears glistened in his eyes.

I let go of his chin and let out an exasperated sigh, getting frustrated. I ran a hand through my hair roughly and turned around. I gathered my thoughts, thinking. I had always believed Natsu could tell me anything, despite how much we fought and acted like we hated each other. It hurt that he wouldn't let me in.

Finally, I said, "I thought you trusted me enough to tell me anything. But I guess I was wrong." Natsu looked so broken, so sad, but I ignored that and left the room. The door slammed loudly behind me and when I looked back at the door I saw ice going up the side.

To my surprise, soft, almost unnoticeable sobbing could be heard through the door, and muttered apologies. I felt guilt rise in me, but fought the urge to go back into the room and tell him it would be okay.

I sat down next to the door, preparing to apologize when Natsu came out of the room. I waited tensely when I heard the crying finally stop, but he didn't come out. I heard a soft thud, and fear clutched at my heart, making my breath catch in my throat.

I got up off of the floor and knocked quietly on the door. "Natsu?" I called, but got no answer. I grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. "Shit!" I cursed when I saw Natsu passed out on the floor, tears staining his face.

I ran over to him and kneeled down, turning him over onto his back and shaking his shoulders roughly. "Natsu, wake up!" I said to him, and even tried shouting, but he wouldn't budge. I picked him up off of the floor bridal style and brought him into the infirmary.

Hopefully, he would be okay. If he wasn't, I would never forgive myself.

**-FT—FT—FT-**

**So that's chapter two! I hope you enjoyed. It actually turned out to be longer than I originally planned, so consider it an apology for not updating sooner. Thanks for reading!**

**IMPORTANT NOTICE: I'm kind of disappointed that no one has come to me with ideas, or PMed me with requests. If anyone happens to have any good ideas for this story, or any ideas at all, I will happily listen and see what I can do about incorporating into this story. I'm fine with changing the plot at this point, and I'll let you guys know when requests will be turned down. **

Until next time . . .

~O'Malley out!


	3. Chapter 3

**So this is chapter three. Enjoy!**

**I also want to thank the guest who commented on the original story for the support and compliment. I really appreciate it! I hope you get an account so we can talk. Anywho, back to the fanfiction.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**-FT—FT—FT-**

**Natsu's POV**

_This was the worst nightmare by far. _

_I walked into the guild, humming quietly to myself. For some reason, I was in a great mood. The tune was one Igneel taught me when I was little, and one that I never forgot. Everyone was acting as they usually did, fighting and talking and arguing loudly, but one thing was missing. _

_They didn't even glance at me when I walked in. I frowned and stopped humming the tune. Usually they would at least greet me or something, but it seemed as though they didn't even notice I was there. It felt like someone was stabbing me in my heart and twisting the knife around. _

_It was at the point where they completely ignored me now. My good mood plummeted immediately. I didn't notice that I stopped walking, or that my arms were slowly disappearing. And finally, when this started, the guild noticed I was standing there. Tears prickled my eyes at the hate-filled or disgusted glares thrown at me. _

"_Look who it is," a voice chimed in the silence that encompassed the guild. "The little coward who can't even stop himself from Fading. I don't know _how _you managed to get as strong as you are with such a weak mind." I looked at the person who spoke and felt my heart leap into my throat. _

_The brown haired man sneered at me hatefully. "Reyne," I whispered, a tear falling down my face._

"_He's right, you know," Gray said, glaring at me. "You're weak minded. Look at you! You've started crying so easily. Like a baby. I can't believe I ever called you my nakama. I can't believe I ever told you I _loved _you." Gray said 'loved' as though it were a disease. "You mean nothing to me. All you are is an eyesore."_

_The tears started falling quickly, and I moved to wipe them away, but Erza grabbed my arms tightly. "No, let everyone see how _weak _and _pathetic _you really are. Let them see how useless you are." I tried to pry my arms out of her grip, but it was too tight. _

_The tears wouldn't stop falling down my face, and my vision was blurring. "No, stop," I whispered, unable to raise my voice. "Please." My voice broke, and I realized just how weak I really was. They were right. I was pathetic and useless._

_My nakama started standing up and pulling weapons out and summoning magic. Even the Master turned into his giant form. "Let's teach you a lesson about what _true strength _is," Reyne said, then everyone attacked me at once. Erza was the only who wasn't attacking me, holding me in place so that I wouldn't run._

_I cried out in pain and sobbed, the thought of my nakama attacking me like this causing every attack to hurt a million times worse. "Please! Stop!" I cried. "Just stop!"_

**-FT—FT—FT-**

**Gray's POV**

I paced anxiously outside of the infirmary, waiting for Porlyusca and the Master to finish checking on Natsu. I was worried and guilty. It was my fault that this happened. I should've gone back into the room and apologized. I should've comforted him and-

"Stop blaming yourself. It isn't your fault. This would've happened at one point anyway," Erza scolded, somehow sensing my line of thought. "He was holding his feelings in for too long. Anything could've pushed him over that edge, and that conversation just so happened to do that. It's not your fault."

I looked at the red haired mage for a minute, then nodded, sitting down on a bench next to the door. Erza's words comforted me, but I still felt guilty.

Finally, after an hour, Porlyusca and the Master walked out of the infirmary, wearing matching looks of worry and confusion. "You can go in," the woman sighed. "The problem should be obvious enough." Erza, Happy, Lucy, and I walked into the room, immediately heading for the bed Natsu was in.

The curtain was drawn, so I pushed it aside and took a good look at the pinkette. He looked fine to me, though a bit pale, and his breathing was slightly uneven, but then I saw his arms. Or rather, I _didn't _see them. The Fading had reached his shoulders. I walked to his side and touched where his arm should have been, and was surprised to feel hot flesh beneath my fingers.

So his arms were still there, just invisible. But I guessed that they would disappear soon if something wasn't done. I heard a choked gasp and looked over to see Lucy crying and covering her mouth. Erza had tears in her eyes, but none fell.

I looked back at the Master and Porlyusca. "Can't you do something?!" I asked desperately, trying not to yell.

Porlyusca looked at the dragon slayer sadly and shook her head. "Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do. This is something I don't know anything about. If I tried to help with potions or herbs, I could cause irrevocable damage to him."

I looked back at Natsu. There was sweat on his brow and his breathing was irregular. I guessed that he was having a nightmare. I found his hand and took it in mine, gently squeezing it in an attempt to comfort him.

Porlyusca left after that, apologizing to the Master for not being able to help. The Master and the rest of Team Natsu, other than me, left to tell the rest of the guild, while I stayed and watched over Natsu. I sat on the edge of the bed, running a cool hand through his hair. When I laid my hand on his forehead, it was as though I was putting it on a fire.

Natsu nuzzled into the hand, relishing in the coolness of it. "Please wake up, Natsu. We need you. _I _need you," I whispered. "I love you."

There was a knock at the door, and Gajeel and Wendy walked into the room. "I think we can help you with Salamander," Gajeel growled out. "We know what's wrong with him."

**-FT—FT—FT-**

**So that's chapter three for you guys. I know it's a bit short, but it's the best I can do right now. I hope you enjoyed. Please review, favorite, follow, and PM me with any ideas you may have. Also, a piece of advice: reviewing helps me update faster. And so will ideas. If you guys do that, I might get you those chapters faster than this. Thanks for reading! Until next time . . . **

**~O'Malley out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four here I come. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**-FT—FT—FT-**

**Gray's POV**

"You know what's wrong with him?!" I asked, desperate to know what was wrong with the pinkette, desperate to help him get through it.

Wendy looked at Natsu sadly. "Yes," she answered. "Natsu-san his going through something called Fading."

"Fading . . .?" I repeated, furrowing my eyebrows in thought.

Gajeel saved me from giving myself a headache. "Fading is something that happens to dragon slayers exclusively. When they feel unwanted, or unneeded, for a long time, this happens. But it doesn't happen at the slightest feeling of being useless. It has to be a strong feeling. Usually it's after a long period of time. From what I can guess, he's only been Fading for a month or so."

"I just wonder how long he's been feeling so useless without anyone noticing. And what caused it," Wendy added, frowning sadly.

"You don't know what caused it?" I asked helplessly. The two dragon slayers only shook their heads. "What are the stages of it?"

Wendy answered this time, furrowing her brows in thought. "Well, first the dragon slayer starts disappearing from the hands up, though the flesh doesn't disappear. It just turns invisible. After the Fading completely consumes them, they disappear altogether. When that happens, everyone who ever knew them, everyone they ever loved, forgets about them, and goes on with daily life as though they never existed in the first place."

Gajeel continued from there and crossed his arms. "There's a small, miniscule chance of those people remembering them, but it has only happened once from what we know. That can only happen when something of the person who's Faded is left behind."

I was silent, thinking about what all of this meant.

Finally, I asked, "Can it be reversed?"

Gajeel and Wendy shared a look. "Well . . . that's the thing," Wendy said meekly. "We don't really know. It's only happened once, and that was in extreme circumstances. There's almost no possibility that Natsu-san will survive this."

I glared at the wall, angry that this was happening to Natsu. "And you have no idea _why _this has happened to him other than the fact that he feels unwanted?"

They shook their heads. "I doubt he would tell anyone. Well, anyone but you, that is."

I looked at Wendy in confusion. She giggled, despite the circumstances. "He's in love with you. Did you not notice?" I shook my head, shocked. "He would trust you with his life. You should at least know that much by now."

"But . . . he wouldn't tell me _anything _earlier," I said, my denial of the truth obvious. "He refused to say it no matter how much I asked."

Gajeel let out an exasperated sigh at my words. "He's _scared, _ice princess!" His exclamation made me jump a little.

Before Gajeel could say any more, Wendy jumped into the conversation. "We'll give you some time to think. Take good care of Natsu." With that the sky dragon slayer pushed the iron dragon slayer out of the room with strength that surprised both of us.

I was finally alone with Natsu again. I carded my hand through his hair in a comforting manner, hoping that it would give him some sort of relief from his nightmares.

"Gray," Natsu whimpered in pain. I took my hand in his again and whispered sweet nothings to him, as though that could alleviate his pain. I doubted it. When Natsu had finally calmed down, I smiled softly at him and retreated into my thoughts.

The only thing I could do for now was wait for him to wake up. I couldn't help him in any way until then. I just hoped that he wouldn't disappear before then.

**-FT—FT—FT-**

**Natsu's POV**

_I was in the closet again, talking to Gray. "I can't," I finally whispered, tears prickling my eyes. Gray's grip on my chin suddenly tightened almost painfully and he glared into my eyes._

"_What a weakling. You can't even get a few words out," he hissed venomously, making me recoil. "I can't believe I ever cared about you."_

_I backed away from him quickly, stopping when my back hit the wall a few feet behind me. "W-what are you saying?" I asked, a tear dripping from my eye, and more following its lead. _

"_See?" he said, laughing mockingly and pointing at the tears on my face. "You cry so easily. From just the slightest push, you lost every ounce of strength you had. It makes me ashamed to even associate with you."_

_I shook my head weakly, not trusting my voice. "What a useless piece of trash," he whispered, standing so close to me that our noses were brushing and I could feel his breath against my lips. _

_A fist slammed into my stomach, making me let a choked cry of pain. And so the beating went on. Gray punched and kicked and crushed and insulted me, breaking my heart into tiny pieces along the way. _

_When the ice mage was finally done smashing my heart apart, he sneered. "See? Just a little weakling. You should just disappear." And with that he left the room and left me in a sobbing, pain filled mess. _

**-FT—FT—FT**

I woke up with a shout, sweating and breathing heavily.

"Natsu?" asked a voice to my right. I looked over at the speaker, and was shocked to see Gray sitting there with tears in his eyes.

I sat up, worried about the mage. "What happened? What's wrong?" My voice was weak and cracked a couple of times, as though I hadn't used it in a while.

Gray looked hesitant to answer my question. "It's Lucy. She died yesterday."

I stared at him with wide eyes. Tears formed in my eyes, and I looked down at my lap to shield my face from Gray. Two stray tears slipped down my face, as if afraid of the torrent that was inevitably going to come after them.

"H-how? How d-did it happen?" I asked with a hushed tone, ignoring how my voice broke, this time from emotion.

When no answer came, I turned my teary eyes to Gray and asked more forcefully this time, "How did she die?!" I needed to know. I needed to know what happened to the Celestial mage. I wasn't sure why, but dread gripped my heart with deadly force.

Gray flinched, and tears poured down his face. "T-the Master—he forced us, Happy, Erza, Lucy, and me, to go on a mission, to get our minds off of everything. I-it was supposed to be easy. Just get rid of some bandits outside of Clover Town. Easy targets, really." Gray paused here, letting out a bitter laugh that lacked amusement.

I stayed silent, letting the raven gather his thoughts. He continued softly. "We were hiding in the bushes, waiting for the bandits to pass. The request—it didn't say anything about a mage being with them. But it turned out that a strong one, from a dark guild, was with them, escorting them to where they were going." Gray's words were rushed now, as though he couldn't stop them.

"We weren't paying that much attention to them, more worried about you than anything," he said. I flinched as though struck. "So the mage snuck up on us and attacked. She managed to give Lucy a fatal wound before we gathered ourselves. A-and we took her out—as quickly as we could—but by the time we got to a hospital, it was too late."

I finally took into account the shirtless man's condition. His abdomen was covered in scrapes, and even bandages in the worse areas. I could only imagine the shape Erza and Happy were in. I cringed at the thought. This was my fault.

I caused this. If I hadn't passed out, if I wasn't so _weak, _then maybe Lucy would be alive, laughing and smiling and hitting Gray when she saw he only had underwear on. I drew my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, burying my face in my knees.

Tears were dripping down my face like a waterfall. "I'm sorry," I choked out. "This is all my fault."

I felt Gray try to hug me, try to _comfort _me, but I pushed him away and stood up, leaning against the wall.

"This isn't your fault, Natsu!" Gray told me, again trying to console me, but I shoved him away again.

"No," I whispered. "It is. If I wasn't so weak, if I was _stronger_, then you guys wouldn't have even had to worry about me. It's all my fault."

I glanced at the window beside me, contemplating what I was about to do for only a millisecond, before jumping out of it and startling the people below it as I hit the ground running.

"Natsu!" Gray cried out behind me. "Wait!"

I ran. I ran and ran and ran until I couldn't run anymore. I finally collapsed on the ground of the forest near my house, curling up into a ball and sobbing. I didn't have to energy to stand up. I didn't have the energy to do anything.

Pain started tingling in my stomach, like the sensation of pins and needles. But it was getting more intense by the second.

"Oh, Natsu," I heard Gray breathed. He pulled me into his arms and whispered comforting words to me, trying to get me to calm down. I barely heard any of this as my whole body began fading and the pain got more and more agonizing.

It was spreading through my body like a wildfire, and I whimpered in pain, my crying finally coming to a stop. "It hurts," I groaned.

And finally Gray noticed my body disappearing, and the pain in my eyes. I knew I wasn't going to come back from this. And I knew this was my last chance to tell Gray how I felt about him.

The ice mage realized this as well and a desperate look crossed his face. "No, no, no! You can't just _die, _Natsu! I love you, idiot. I'm in love with you! You can't die on me now!"

I smiled sadly at his words through the pain, and gently touched his face. I gasped in pain, then said, "I love you, too, Ice Princess. But it won't matter soon. You won't even remember me."

"NO!" Gray shouted, and then my world went black, and, though I didn't know it, my body disappeared.

**-FT—FT—FT-**

**I think I'll just leave that there. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and keep reading. Please favorite, follow, review, and PM me with requests. **

**I have two things to say before I go: 1) No, this isn't the end of the story. There's still more to come. 2) Reviews are a drug, and I'm an addict. So review and I'll get the chapter up faster. **

**Until next time . . . **

**~O'Malley out!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five is coming right up. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**-FT—FT—FT**

**Gray's POV**

"Oh, Natsu," I breathed.

I watched with sorrow as Natsu slowed down and fell to his knees, sobbing brokenheartedly. I pulled him into my arms and whispered comforting words to him, surprised that he wasn't pushing me away like before.

After a while, the sobbing stopped. I kept him in my arms, knowing that he would need someone to comfort him. I heard him let out a pained whimper, and his low groan. "It hurts."

My eyes widened when I noticed that his body was disappearing at an alarming rate, and at the look of agony in his eyes. But behind the agony, there was also a look of acceptance. '_No! You can't fucking die on me Natsu! I won't let you!' _I thought, panicking.

Desperation crossed my face. He was accepting his death. "No, no, no! You can't just _die, _Natsu! I love you, idiot! I'm in love with you. You can't die on me now!" Tears gathered in my eyes for the nth time that day.

A sad smile danced on Natsu's lips through his pain, and he gently touched the side of my face. He gasped in pain, then said, "I love you, too, Ice Princess. But it won't matter soon. You won't even remember me."

'_But I don't want to forget!' _I wanted to scream, to shout at the top of my lungs for the whole world to hear. It was too late though. Natsu's weight disappeared from my arms, and he was gone. There was a bright flash of light that blew out in a circle, travelling farther than I could see.

As the breeze emitted from the light hit me, I blanked out for a second, before coming back to my senses. I frowned in confusion. Why was I in the forest? Then I remembered. I'd come out here to be alone, away from the guild so that I could grieve Lucy's death in peace.

For some reason, it felt like someone was missing, like there was someone I was forgetting. '_It's just that Lucy is gone. I miss her.' _But I couldn't shake the feeling that Lucy wasn't the only one missing. Everyone else was back in the guild hall, or on missions.

I shrugged, pushing that thought away. I knew the guild would be worrying about me by now, so I pushed myself off of the ground, wiped my tears away, and made my way back to the guild. I was halfway to the guild when I saw Gajeel and Wendy running towards me with fear clear on their faces, though I could tell Gajeel tried to hide it.

I met with them quickly. "What's wrong?" I asked them.

"You don't remember?!" Wendy exclaimed, searching my face for something, but what it was I could only guess at.

"Remember what?" I had no idea what they were talking about.

Wend and Gajeel looked at each other with grim expressions. "You don't remember Natsu-san?" Wendy asked softly, her anxiety obvious.

At the same time, Gajeel growled, "You really don't remember Salamander?"

"Natsu? Salamander? What kind of stupid name is that? And what kinds of questions are those when Lucy is dead?!" I was getting slightly angry now. "You should be grieving her, not asking me stupid questions!"

Wendy looked hurt, and Gajeel looked pissed. Before Gajeel exploded, Wendy cut in, "We both miss Lucy-san (is that what Wendy called her?), and we both grieve for her, but this is important. Natsu-san is important, too. It's important to us to find out whether you remember him, which you obviously don't. We're sorry for upsetting you, so we'll leave you alone now."

Wendy drug Gajeel away. I was surprised that she was strong enough to do that, but Gajeel looked annoyed by it, as though he already knew. I cursed under my breath and continued back to the guild. "What was that even about?" I muttered to myself.

I shivered slightly, glancing behind me. It felt as though someone was watching me. Not in a creepy, stalker-ish way, like Juvia, but in a way that seemed like someone was watching over me.

'_Who was that Natsu guy they were talking about, anyway?' _I thought, irritably, ignoring the small tingling feeling at the back of my mind. Like the name was important. I doubted it. If I didn't even remember the guy's name, then he couldn't have meant that much to me.

I pushed the guild doors open and walked towards the bar. A thick, depressed silence hung over everyone, even Laxus. Cana's drinking pace was doubled, rendering her tipsy, Wakaba wasn't smoking or talking with Macao, who didn't have a drink in front of him, and Romeo was missing from the guild, probably moping around town.

Erza sat without any armor on, picking at her strawberry cake, which hadn't been touched. Elfman was sitting at the bar with Mira, _not _going on at all about anything manly at all. All in all, everyone seemed sad and depressed.

Not that I could blame them. I wasn't any better. I was fully dressed at the time, and had to itch to take my clothes off, not even unconsciously. I sat at the bar with a long, drawn out sigh and ordered a beer from Mira, who didn't even argue.

I glanced upstairs, where Laxus was leaning over the railing as usual. The lightning dragon slayer had a blank look on his face, though I could see confusion in his eyes. I ignored him. There was no point in worrying about a jerk like him. I doubted he was even the slightest bit sad about Lucy's death.

A sat at the bar, spaced out, for what I guessed was fifteen minutes. Someone tapped my shoulder, and I looked behind me. Laxus was standing there.

"What do you want, Laxus?" I asked irritably.

"I was wondering whether you'd seen Natsu around lately," he told me, voice low.

I growled at him. "Who's this Natsu guy people keep asking me about?! First it's Gajeel and Wendy, and now you?! Ugh!"

Laxus raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Calm down, Ice Princess. I was just wondering."

"Yeah, well I don't even know who the damn guy even is, so leave me alone," I sighed.

I heard footsteps retreating, and got lost in thought again. And again, I ignored that tingling feeling in the back of my mind that was telling me that someone was missing from the picture. Someone important.

**-FT—FT—FT-**

**So that's chapter five. I know it's short, but it's fine since I updated yesterday as well. Before anyone asks, I'm not telling whether Natsu is dead or not. That will be found out soon, though. Please review, favorite, follow, and PM me. I really appreciate it (no, seriously!). **

**Until next time . . . **

**~O'Malley out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**So here's chapter six for you guys. I hope I do well with M- well anyway. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**-FT—FT—FT-**

**Natsu's POV**

I was falling. Falling, falling, falling endlessly. Surrounded by pitch darkness and blinding light and a grey netherworld that seemed to have no end. I wasn't sure if I was falling up or down or if I was really falling in the first place.

But it felt like an eternity. An eternity that only lasted a single second yet stretched on into nothing. Sometimes I thought I saw my friends or my guild mates or even Igneel flashing through the air, and sometimes I thought I saw memories of my past that I wanted to forget.

As the eternity in the dark, light-filled, grey expanse passed, I could see shadows drifting from the farthest regions, reaching towards me, grabbing for me from so far away yet from so close, as if they wanted to touch me, to get near me, to hold me as I were an old friend.

And I guess, in a way, I was. I'd been there for what felt like so long that it seemed perfectly acceptable for the shadows to feel that way. I reached towards them, too, wanting for some sort of contact with some sort of being, wanting for some sensation other than falling endlessly and time passing endlessly.

When the shadows were finally close enough to touch, and close enough to see every particle that made them up, I was jerked away from them, my hand only centimeters away.

**-FT—FT—FT-**

And suddenly I found myself back on the floor of the forest, but it was different. I was laying on my back, the forest floor beneath me, but I couldn't feel the texture of the leaves or the coarseness of the dirt. It was just flat, with no particular texture or feeling.

I looked up at the sound of movement. It was Gray, standing up and walking out of the forest as if I'd never been there.

And then I realized that it _was _as if I hadn't been there. I'd Faded, leaving no trace of me behind. I stood up and followed Gray. If I was going to be stuck in that netherworld forever, then I might as well do it with the person I love, right?

As I followed him, I could see Wendy and Gajeel running towards us in the distance, worry and fear in their eyes and on their faces. Gray met them halfway, looking concerned.

"What's wrong?" he asked. I only looked on with a blank face. I knew they would remember me, and know that I had Faded.

"You don't remember?!" Wendy demanded, and I knew she was looking for some sign of recognition or sadness, or any trace of grief for someone other than Lucy.

Gray put on the most adorable look of confusion, and I chuckled at it. "Remember what?"

I felt a pang in my heart. I knew he didn't remember, but it still hurt to hear him say that. I wanted so badly to break down and cry, but I knew it would do me no good, so I held my feelings and tears in.

I caught the grim looks Gajeel and Wendy shot at each other. "You don't remember Natsu-san?" Wendy asked at the same time Gajeel said, "You really don't remember Salamander?"

This time Gray looked both confused and angry. "Natsu? Salamander? What kind of stupid name is that? And what kinds of questions are those when Lucy is dead?! You should be grieving her, not asking me stupid questions!"

I almost wanted to smack him when I saw the hurt look Wendy had, but refrained from acting on that impulse. I wouldn't be able to touch him anyway. Out of curiosity, I tried to touch his hair, to run my fingers through it, but my hand just went straight through his head.

I laughed darkly. Of course I couldn't touch him. I should've known better than to try that. I retracted my hand, violently wiping the tears that escaped my eyes away. I refused to let myself to be so weak even after death.

I brought myself out of my thoughts, and my attention back to the conversation. Wendy started speaking quickly, before Gajeel could go on a rant at Gray. "We both miss Lucy-san, and we both grieve for her, but this is important, too. It's important for us to find out whether you remember him, which you obviously don't. We're sorry for upsetting you, so we'll leave you alone now."

And with that Wendy drug Gajeel away like it was nothing. I wasn't surprised. She _was _a dragon slayer after all.

I had to run after Gray when I realized he'd already started walking towards the guild again. I heard him mutter, "What was that even about?"

I gave him a sad smile, and said, "That was about me. But you wouldn't know that, would you? You can't even hear me."

When we finally made it back to the guild hall, Gray opened the doors and walked in. Nobody acknowledged it, with the exception of a small glance or two in his direction. There was a heavy silence blanketing everyone, and they were all out of character, grieving over the loss of the Celestial mage.

Laxus was sitting upstairs, leaning against the railing and scanning the guild. I sat next to Gray, wanting so badly to pretend that everything was how it used to be. I wanted so badly to get into fights again. But I couldn't.

I sat there, listening to the deafening silence, for fifteen minutes. I heard footsteps come up behind Gray and me, and looked to back. Laxus was walking towards Gray with confusion in his eyes, hidden well behind arrogance. Nobody spared him a single look.

Gray only noticed he was standing there when the lightning dragon slayer tapped him on the shoulder. "What do you want, Laxus?" he spat, obviously irritated.

Laxus spoke in a low voice, as to not attract attention. "I was wondering if you'd seen Natsu around lately."

Gray let a low growl out. "Who's this Natsu guy people keep asking me about?! First it's Gajeel and Wendy, and now you?!" He groaned in frustration.

"Calm down, Ice Princess. I was just wondering," Laxus told Gray, holding his hands up in a sign of surrender.

"Yeah, well I don't even know who the damn guy is, so leave me alone," Gray muttered. Laxus said nothing more, walking away. He obviously had the answer he needed.

I let the tears slide down my face this time, unable to take the pain of Gray not even knowing who I was, and saying my name as if he hated me. I didn't let a sound out, though. I only gritted my teeth in pain.

"It sucks, doesn't it?" rang a voice behind me.

My eyes widened, and I spun around to see Reyne. "Oh, god," I breathed. "Reyne."

Reyne gave me a cruel smile. "I hated not being able to hurt you for what you did to me. I hated not being able to see your face twisted in agony."

I flinched at his words, and more tears fell from my eyes. "You know," he continued, "you can still feel pain here, even though you aren't technically alive anymore. I could make you suffer for as long as I want, and as much as I want, and you wouldn't die. It's great, isn't it?!" Reyne burst out laughing, and he sounded like he had gone insane. Which he probably had.

"After all," he said, a maniacal glint in his eyes, "it's all your fault I'm here in the first place."

**-FT—FT—FT-**

**I hope you enjoyed chapter six! I feel like I did this one well, and I hope you felt the same way. Thanks for reading. Favorite, follow, review, and PM me please!**

**Until next time . . .**

**~O'Malley out!**


	7. Author's Note

**My awesome readers,**

**I'm sorry to say that I won't be updating this story for a while. I'm going to try focusing on one story at a time so that I'm not updating random ones at random times. I'm not discontinuing this story, but it will be a while before I update again.**

**I'm really sorry about this. Just please don't unfollow this because it's not ending here. And sorry to anyone who thought this was a chapter, but I swear that this story will update at one point or another. **

**Just a heads up for the story I'm working on now, which is 'Broken Soul'. I have about one sentence for it so far, so it may be a little bit for that one too, accounting the fact that I don't have much time to write due to school. **

**Sorry again, and thanks for reading this.**

**~O'Malley out!**


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